As crime soared in 2023, Oakland leaders zeroed in on a visible nuisance: sideshows.

In past years, residents had reported hundreds of these dangerous street takeovers where drivers rip donuts in intersections, often surrounded by cheering crowds. Sometimes participants set cars on fire and shoot guns into the air. Injuries aren’t uncommon, not to mention acrid smoke and noise.

In June 2023, after months of debate, the City Council approved an ordinance that outlawed sideshows and targeted those who organize them. Anyone caught violating the law by participating in or organizing a sideshow can be thrown in jail for up to six months. It also gave Oakland the power to impose penalties, including fines of up to $5,000 for repeat violations, and the ability to have courts shut down the social media accounts used to organize sideshows.

Councilmember Noel Gallo, the author of the law, urged his colleagues to approve the ordinance, citing the explosion of sideshows across Oakland and the fact that other cities like San Jose were introducing similar laws. 

Councilmember Carroll Fife asked police officials at a May 2023 meeting if the penalties would help officers reduce sideshows, saying, “Is this the legislation that you all feel as the Oakland Police Department to be effective in minimizing the occurrence and sometimes the severity of the sideshows?”

An officer reassured Fife that the ordinance was “very well crafted” and would “absolutely give us the authority to hold those accountable who are doing this to our city.”

But nearly three years later, city officials acknowledge they have never used the law.

City spokesperson Jean Walsh told The Oaklandside last week that Oakland has not sought injunctions or imposed penalties on violators under the ordinance. 

The city attorney also shared that no investigations have been referred to it since the ordinance was adopted. 

Walsh did not respond to questions about whether the city has ever referred cases to the district attorney’s office to prosecute people who violated the ordinance. We reached out to the DA to see if they have ever prosecuted anyone under Oakland’s ordinance, but did not receive any information. 

We asked city officials, including Gallo, for an interview to discuss why the ordinance hasn’t been used, but did not receive a response.

OPD has relied mostly on laws that existed before Oakland’s get-tough ordinance

Oakland’s failure to use its sideshow law doesn’t mean sideshow organizers and participants are going unpunished. In 2025, OPD reported towing 195 vehicles and arresting 23 people for police evasion, reckless driving, and “illegal sideshow activity” in the city. According to KTVU, OPD also issued 21 citations in connection with a massive sideshow last August at 41st and Howe Streets. It’s unclear what those citations were for. 

In September, OPD announced that two sideshow organizers had been taken into custody on felony warrants connected to the promotion and facilitation of the August sideshow. The department said in a press release it would continue to take actions to disrupt sideshows and hold organizers accountable. “When appropriate, this includes seeking felony criminal charges,” the department stated. 

As of February this year, Oakland had seized more than 70 vehicles allegedly involved in sideshows. In none of these announcements has OPD mentioned the ordinance approved by the Oakland City Council. 

But the failure to use an administrative penalty is concerning to some local officials. 

Councilmember Charlene Wang, who recently introduced legislation to penalize spectators at sideshows, told The Oaklandside that the Alameda County District Attorney is under-resourced and must prioritize cases for prosecution. When the DA doesn’t prosecute a case, it’s useful to have the option to pursue a civil fine, Wang said. 

“Using administrative fines could be a powerful tool that addresses these gaps while also bringing revenue to the city,” Wang said.

In general, Wang said, she’s concerned that Oakland struggles to make use of its civil enforcement tools. As an example, she pointed out that Oakland has failed to collect fines from people caught dumping trash on the street. Wang is worried that similar bureaucratic snags could prevent the city from fining people under an ordinance she introduced earlier this year that targets people who purchase sex in Oakland.  

“I’m just seeing this as a theme across the board,” Wang said.

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